Reading is good for you.
It improves your own language, especially when young:
Jay Doubleyou: "children who read for pleasure are better at english"
It improves your learning of another language:
Jay Doubleyou: 'first language literacy skills enhance second language learning'
Jay Doubleyou: reading really is the best way to improve (your own and a second) language
And there are lots of ways to do it:
Jay Doubleyou: how to get back to reading
Jay Doubleyou: do you enjoy reading?
The problem, at least in the UK, is that we're reading less:
Report finds ‘shocking and dispiriting’ fall in children reading for pleasure | Books | The Guardian
It's not just in the UK that it's happening:
Recent studies have highlighted a disturbing trend: over 50 percent of American adults haven't read a book in the past year. Worse still, fewer younger people are reading, and they read less than half the amount of older generations.
This is a unfortunate, since reading has so many scientifically-backed benefits: it increases intelligence, improves memory (especially in later life), makes it easier to relate to others, reduces stress, helps us to sleep better, and more.
So why aren't people reading as much as they once did? And what can be done to reverse this trend? In this post, I take a stab at answering both those questions. Here are 5 reasons why people aren't reading, and 5 good solutions to this problem...
5 Reasons People Don't Read Anymore, And 5 Good Solutions
There are indeed ways to reverse this:
From a silent reading club in Plymouth to "book fairies" who hide interesting reads around Cornwall, book lovers aim to open a new chapter on the story of people's relationship with reading.
Most imagine reading to be a solitary pastime but a group in Plymouth has found fellowship through enjoying books together. Members of the Silent Book Club, which meet in venues around Plymouth, bring their favourite books to read quietly for an hour before chatting and sharing recommendations. The club has its roots in the USA where it was formed by Guinevere de la Mare, with her friend Laura Gluhanich, in 2012. From its beginnings in San Francisco it has grown to have more than 1,500 chapters in 54 countries, including Plymouth in Devon.
Research by The Reading Agency, external, a charity encouraging leisure reading, including audiobooks and e-books, found those who considered themselves readers reported higher levels of social connection, sleep, better concentration and higher empathy. Carina Spaulding, the agency's head of research and evaluation, said data in a 2024 report showed reading as an activity in itself helped people feel more connected to others.
In Cornwall, a group of "fairies" are helping give people greater access to books. Unlike the fairies found in story books, they do not have wings or leave money in exchange for teeth, but instead hide books in public places for people to find. Carys Wiggans, who began the Cornish branch of The Book Fairies, said: "It's about getting people to read books that maybe they wouldn't normally read or have access to books that they don't have access to. There's no cost, there's nothing that is required from them except that excitement."
Can book fans turn the page on decline in reading? - BBC News
With more here:
Plymouth, Devon, UK – Silent Book Club
Official Cornish Book Fairy | Facebook
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